Today, we celebrate the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in body and soul to Heaven. Today —St. Bernard says—“the Virgin, full of glory, is taken up to heaven, showering the celestial beings with joy”. And he will add these precious words: “What a beautiful present the earth is today sending to heaven! With this wonderful gesture of friendship —such as giving and receiving— the human and the divine, the earthly and the heavenly, the humble and the sublime, merge into one. It is there, the most precious earthly fruit, where the best presents and the most valuable gifts come from. Taken up to heaven, the Virgin Mary will lavish her gifts on all men”.

For pictures, goto Virgin Mary Assumption Pictures

The first gift she lavishes on us is the Word, that She knew how to keep so faithfully in her heart, by making it bear fruit from the very profound and warm silence. With this Word in her interior space, while begetting in her womb the Life for all men, “Mary set out for a town in the Hills of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth” (Lk 1:39-40). Mary’s presence exults in joy, and Elizabeth says: “The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy” (Lk 1:44).

She, mostly, presents us with the gift of her commendation, her same joy made music, her Magnificat: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my savior!…” (Lk 1:46-47). What a beautiful gift the heaven sends back to us with Mary’s song, made word of God.

In this song we find the signs to learn how the human and the divine, the earthly and the celestial blend together, while being able to react, as She does, to the gift God presents us with, in the person of his Son, through his Saint Mother: to become a gift from God to the world, and tomorrow, a gift from mankind to God, by following Mary’s example, who precedes us in this glorification which we are bound to.

Read more on Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary

- – - reflection by Fr. Josep ALEGRE Abbot of Santa Maria de Poblet

You are cordially invited to a birthday party.

When: Pentecost
Where: Your Parish
Why: To Celebrate the Church’s Birthday

Are you confused by this invitation? Did you know that the feast of Pentecost is often referred to as the birthday of the Church? It is called that because Pentecost is when the apostles went out among the people and began spreading Jesus’ message, thus establishing the beginning of the Church.

Pentecost (Greek for “50th day”) is celebrated by Christians 50 days after Easter, and marks the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles while they were cowering and hiding behind locked doors following Jesus’ resurrection. After receiving the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit, the apostles immediately went out and preached Jesus’ message to everyone—even those who spoke other languages.

Actually, Pentecost was originally a Jewish feast that concluded the 50 days of Passover and celebrated the end of the barley harvest, plus the beginning of the wheat harvest. The Jewish people at Pentecost also celebrate the gift of the law to Moses at Mt. Sinai.

Symbols of Pentecost

The symbols of Pentecost are wind, fire and a dove.

The first symbol—wind—is taken from the noise the apostles heard as the Spirit descended upon them (Acts 2:2). After the wind, flames appeared and rested upon the heads of each of the apostles (Acts 2:3).

A dove serves as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. There is no mention of a dove in Acts, but we associate a dove with the Holy Spirit because of the story about Jesus’ baptism: “After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him” (Matthew 3:16).

Celebrating Pentecost

Pentecost is probably one of the most important days on the Church calendar, but it often gets overlooked. Here are some ways that your family can help celebrate this very important day:

a) Because Pentecost is the birthday of the Church, celebrate it just as you would any other birthday in your home—break out the cake and ice cream. Rather than singing “Happy Birthday,” recite a prayer for Pentecost. Most prayer books contain special prayers for this special day.

b) Wear something red. The color of the vestments worn by priests on Pentecost is red, to symbolize the love of the Holy Spirit, or the tongues of fire that appeared over the heads of the apostles on Pentecost. And don’t just stop at wearing red. Use a red tablecloth for dinner, eat off red paper plates, eat red foods, etc. See how many ways you can incorporate the color red in your celebration.

c)Read aloud the story of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts.

So come, let us wish the Church a happy birthday on this Pentecost.

The annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations is an appropriate occasion for highlighting the importance of vocations in the life and mission of the Church, as well as for intensifying our prayer that they may increase in number and quality.

Pope Paul VI instituted the World Day of Prayer for Vocations (the 4th Sunday of Easter) on the 11th April 1964 by saying - “O Jesus, divine Shepherd of the spirit, you have called the Apostles in order to make them fishermen of men, you still attract to you burning spirits and generous young people, in order to render them your followers and ministers to us” – (Pope Paul VI launching the 1st Word Day of Prayer for Vocations)

General Intercessions for Vocation Awareness

1. That men and women may find joy in sacrificing personal gain for the service of others in a Church vocation, we pray to the LORD.

2. That the LORD of the Harvest may open the hearts of our young people to the possibility of a life in priesthood or religious life, we pray to the LORD.

3. That parents, by their lives and example, may encourage Church vocations among their children, we pray to the LORD.

4. For all men and women who wish to follow Christ, that they may respond generously to God’s graces, trusting His leading them into His service as priests or religious, we pray to the LORD.

5. For Christian families, the source of religious vocations, that they may be prompted to encourage young people to rejoice in doing God’s will, we pray to the LORD.

6. That today’s youth may show generosity to Jesus’ call and make wise decisions in choosing their vocation in life, we pray to the LORD.

7. For all young men of our parish who are making lifetime choices at this time, that they will include service to the People of God as a diocesan priest among their other options, we pray to the LORD.

8. For all parents of our parish, that they may instill a positive regard for the priesthood as a wholesome lifetime career path their sons might consider, we pray to the LORD.

9. For our young people, that they may find a joyful faith in their families, and encouragement to respond to a life of ministry and service, we pray to the LORD.

10. For a full appreciation of the gift of ministry within the Church, and for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, we pray to the LORD.

11. For all candidates for priesthood in our diocese, that they may have the courage of their convictions and the generosity to act upon them if they believe in their hearts that God is calling them to priesthood, we pray to the LORD.

12. For all pastors and parish priests of our diocese, that they will recognize and invite to priesthood men of their parishes who have the aptitude for priestly service, we pray to the LORD.

13. For all priests, deacons, religious men and women, and all lay ministers who serve our Church and for those who are struggling to answer the call they are experiencing at this time, we pray to the LORD.

14. For all involved in the examination of candidates to priesthood at this time, that their choices will benefit the whole Church of the 21st Century, we pray to the LORD.

15. For all parishioners who have made a commitment to pray intensely for vocations, that their intercessory prayer for an increase of candidates for priesthood in our diocese will be fruitful for the Church and they will be blessed for their efforts, we pray to the LORD.

16. For the Parish Vocations Commission of our diocese, that they will grown in appreciation of the task entrusted to them, and that the seeds of awareness they plant will grow to maturity through prayer and care, we pray to the LORD.

17. That Lent 2012 will be a time of grace and renewal for all Christians throughout the world, and that there will be a renewal of interest in the vocations of Church service, we pray to the LORD.

18. For all the priests and religious who are guiding the Catholic people of our parishes in this 21st Century, we pray to the LORD.

19. That our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, will be blessed as he leads Catholics to lift up the world to God in prayer, we pray to the LORD.

20. That the new Millennium will be a time of renewal for the Church and that many people will follow their individual call from God to assist in the work of evangelization, we pray to the LORD.

21. In thanksgiving to God for the blessings of the 20th Century, asking a powerful outpouring of His Spirit on the new Millennium, we pray to the LORD.

22. For all the priests, religious and lay people who will serve the Church, the People of God, in the 21st Century, we pray to the LORD.